Bengaluru is known for its buzzing food scene, with a plethora of restaurants serving everything from traditional South Indian cuisine to international flavours. The avid foodies know that a great meal can sometimes turn into a long-drawn-out affair, with tables being occupied for hours on end. That is exactly what the city's restaurant owners are now trying to tackle. Hotel owners across the city are now discussing the idea of introducing ‘table charges' for patrons who refuse to vacate their seats after a reasonable period. The Bruhat Bengaluru Hotel Owners' Association (BBHOA) has proposed penalising such patrons with Rs 500 to Rs 1000. This move aims to discourage customers from using restaurants as unofficial boardrooms for real estate deals and political discussions.
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“Three or four people come and order 2/3 or 3/4 coffee or tea to discuss real estate. They will sit discussing it for more than 45 minutes. On the other hand, there will be customers waiting. It is an everyday affair and how many times can we tell them. They are locals, and we cannot fight with them," a hotel owner in Kengeri told The Indian Express.
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The Bengaluru Hotel Owners' Association said that several small and medium-sized hotels in the city are experiencing the problem with customers using their premises as informal meeting spaces. These customers often occupy tables for extended periods and order only tea, coffee or light snacks.
PC Rao, president of Bruhat Bengaluru Hotel Owners Association, said, “They take up space in the hotels and also ruin the atmosphere, holding up tables for a long time and creating disruption during peak hours. If we let this go on, it will be as if we are encouraging this action. We are proposing this action for both the safety of the customers and the hoteliers.”
The proposal is still in its early stages and the association plans to submit a formal request to the government soon. Some hotels in the city have already begun displaying signs claiming that they follow a strict no-discussion policy. The goal is to find a solution that balances the needs of customers with the business interests of hotel owners.